Episode 404 - Douglas Rushkoff

WTF Podcast

Episode 404 - Douglas Rushkoff

Mon, July 08, 2013

Douglas Rushkoff’s new book “Present Shock” has Marc questioning his codependent relationship with technology, particularly social media. Douglas and Marc talk about the pace and access of technology and what that means for our lives. Also, Scott Aukerman sneaks into the garage on the dawn of a new season of Comedy Bang! Bang! on IFC. This episode is sponsored by Comedy Central and by Stamps.com. Click on the radio mic and enter WTF to start a no-risk trial.

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23 Comments

Derrick July 08, 2013 at 10:44 am

I really like your show man. This guest today is full of new age hipster BS. If stupid people like Douglas were actually able to achieve some sort of significant power position and try to implement his ideology, the world would become a more secular and inefficient place. Technology makes the world a better and more open place. That said he is correct about Facebook and Twitter. They suck and those people who are constantly on them need to get a real life.

Pete G. July 08, 2013 at 12:44 pm

Hoping my post-apocalyptic future somehow involves a commune founded by a few pissed off comedians and some rock-out musicians. (I’m handy with tools, and have brush mower)

I’ve always liked the podcast and I’ve always liked Douglas Rushkoff so naturally, I’ve always wanted to hear Douglas Rushkoff on the podcast. I even thought about e-mailing him or you (Marc,) and asking if this would ever happen. Nah, I would always say to myself, that would never happen, don’t even bother e-mailing them about it.

I haven’t listened to the interview yet so I hope it’s fucking good. If it isn’t good, I’ll come back and leave some hate-spewing message about yuppy, new age, hipster d-bags and how they use Facebook and Twitter to blanket their inward hate in anonymity before projecting it outward onto creative folks who work hard to please us (sometimes without even getting payed for it). Yeah.

Thanks the the Podcast, Marc. And thanks to everyone who reads this comment. I’m sure you’re all good people and I wouldn’t mind meeting you. Yes, I mean the guy who leaves hateful comments too. Lets hang out, dude!

Brendan July 08, 2013 at 5:19 pm

Been listening for a while and I’ve been watching Rushkoff speak about his book since he started touring for it. It was a great interview. “Mazeltov on your brain” is a keeper. Thank you both for supplying me with some content.

bleedingears July 09, 2013 at 7:11 pm

Geez… no offense to Rushkoff’s pseudo-intellectualism, but I’ve heard him sell his book on about 5 other radio shows by now. Once was enough.

it’s dumb as hell to say that “technology is a good thing”. not of necessity, it depends on the technology and how it’s applied. there is this knee jerk reactionary, anti-luddite[or so it fancies itself] current of thought in America; that thinks it speaks with intelligence when it pounds a non-discerning stamp of approval, on any and every new technology.

Mookman July 11, 2013 at 7:42 am

LOVED this episode of WTF!!!!! Hearing someone speak about Toffler’s “Future Shock” was seriously cool for me since I’d first heard of the theories 10 or so years ago. Admittedly, while I didn’t read Toffler’s book, I DID read a book by John Brunner called “Shockwave Rider” that used many of the theories that Toffler wrote about. Particularly poignant for me was when Mark said the word “precipice.” The word is used in Brunner’s book as the name of a town that was crucial to the plot of the book.

I kept wanting to hear things like “This has been a cybernetic datum in the public interest” or “discovering the powerbase.” But, for those of you that have never read the book the words are meaningless. But, Brunner was a damned fine writer and I wish I could find his Hugo winning book “Stand on Zanzibar.”

As for the rest of you folks that wish to throw around the term “pseudo-intellectual” I’m wondering why you feel this is necessary… He’s got a PHD, ffs!!! What other credentials does he NEED to satisfy your requirement for intellectualism??? Why this need for “hyphenation-devaluation” of this man’s work??? (And yes, I’m smugly proud of my “hyphenation-creation” phrase to address that crap) Agreeing or disagreeing is your prerogative. Marginalization of someone else’s accomplishments is just mean-spirited. And frankly, kinda fuqqin dumb…

Great interview, Marc. One of my favorites to date…

Greg July 14, 2013 at 4:12 am

This guest is a fool. His has no understanding of economics as well as many other things and doesn’t have the brains to realize it. Even his style of speaking reveals his stupidity. Annoying…

Luke July 15, 2013 at 5:25 pm

Wow - that was a lot of hot air and pretending to be talking about something profound, mixed with wild conspiracy theory taken to absurd all-or-nothing conclusions. Speaking of losing touch with immediate human reality…

Josh July 18, 2013 at 11:44 am

This was a great episode. One of the best you’ve done.

The people complaining about it in the comments prove pretty much every point you and Rushkoff made.

Zyryab July 25, 2013 at 6:41 pm

I was enjoying the interview until Rushkoff mentioned the lunar cycle/neurotransmitter pseudoscience. That basically made everything else he said automatically suspect, since his acceptance of it shows a complete absence of critical thinking. After that, the new age cheap was easier to detect.

Cowicide July 31, 2013 at 1:34 pm

RE: Derrick

> This guest today is full of new age hipster BS.

He has a lot of facts and critical thinking that back him up. You? Not so much.

> if stupid people like Douglas were actually able to achieve some sort of significant power position and try to implement his ideology

Douglas writes for CNN reaching millions of people. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Media Ecology Association, The Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, and is a founding member of Technorealism, as well as of the Advisory Board of The National Association for Media Literacy Education, MeetUp.com and HyperWords .

He’s the winner of the first Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity, given by the Media Ecology Association, in 2004.

You may disagree with his ideas, but to call him stupid and insignificant makes you seem petty and obtuse.

> the world would become a more secular and inefficient place.

Yes, there’s nothing more efficient than religiousiosity that has a nice record of provoking efficient wars, efficient attacks on science, and throughly efficient, mindless “my Gawd is bigger than your Gawd” disagreements that permeate the land instead of tackling real problems. Very efficient.

Also, I thought you said he was a new age hipster? With your logic, wouldn’t that make the world more spiritual if he was to “try to implement his ideology”?

You seem very, very confused.

> Technology makes the world a better and more open place.

Douglas said that along with other things. Life is not that black and white, Derrick.

Read more, Derrick.

Cowicide July 31, 2013 at 1:37 pm

RE: Zyryab

>I was enjoying the interview until Rushkoff
>mentioned the lunar cycle/neurotransmitter
>pseudoscience